//------------------------------// // Chapter 07 - Black Knights // Story: Their Very Own Suns // by Blank Page //------------------------------// The Mare in the Moon stood watch over Everfree, her eye following her lone knight as he marched across the high walkways of her sister’s castle.  Shining Armor’s thoughts were heavy.  Just one last mission, the Princess had told him.  One last mission, and he would see his Cadence again.  He just had to gather a team, and with this strange brand of spies, he had to ensure they were stallions he trusted. The medical wing just on the other end of the walkway.  From this height, he could see much of the castle beneath him.  He glanced down and could see figures moving across the bridge at the front of the castle.  By their robes, they looked like Dream Catcher and her acolytes. The lieutenant paused.  Dream Catcher had never left the castle before; her place was in the sleeping chambers, maintaining the prisoners’ eternal rest.  To see her crossing the bridge in blue torchlight with a dozen of her followers, or all of them, he couldn’t be sure; it made him shudder to think where they were going, what could have happened to deserve their presence away from Everfree. He pushed the thoughts out of his head as he entered the medical wing.  It wasn't very large; its few occupants consisted of knights and staff, and rarely anypony else.  The doctor at the front desk straightened as he came in, offering a warm smile to chase away the chill from outside, a smile he became all too familiar with in the past week and a half. “Doctor Redheart,” Armor nodded with a small smile of his own.  “How’s work been treating you lately?” “Oh, work is slow, but in my business, I suppose that's a good thing,” she chuckled.  “We had a Lunar Guard check in earlier.  He stayed long enough to take some pain medication before walking out the door.” Shining Armor raised a questioning eyebrow.  “And you just let him?” Redheart shrugged innocently.  “He looked a little disgruntled,” she explained.  “And I wasn't about to try and stop a Lunar Guard.  The Princess hoofpicks them for a reason.  I checked him out myself; he needed more than just pain medication.  I recommended at least two moons of bedrest, but he wouldn’t hear it.  Said something about being tired of doing nothing but waiting all moon.”  She smirked and shook her head.  “Oh, look at me, rambling about somepony else’s troubles.  I’m sure you’re here for a reason.  Visiting as usual?” Armor nodded.  “How's his recovery coming along?” he asked.  “Still looking well?” “Well, like I said last moon, he seems to have fully recovered,” Redheart explained.  “But strikes from lightning are… difficult to mend.  Often the patient will appear physically healthy, but we need to be cautious for any lingering physical or psychological trauma that we may have missed; ‘aftershocks’, so to speak.” “How soon until he’s mission ready?” Armor pressed. The doctor blinked.  She took in a breath to retort, but after seeing the reluctance in the lieutenant’s eyes, all that came out was a sympathetic sigh.  “I…  I suppose that’s ultimately up to him,” she resigned.  “For the record, though, I still recommend a few more moons of bedrest.  He’s still in the east wing, first bed on the left.” “Thank you,” the lieutenant nodded.  “I’ll be sure he’s not put under too much work.”  He turned to the large double doors leading to the east wing.  His thoughts weighed heavily in his head, and a sigh forced its way out of him.  He wanted to listen to her, to be able to turn and leave the medical wing and find somepony else.  But there were few ponies he trusted more, and his prior experience with the rebels made him invaluable. The heavy doors to the east wing groaned as they opened, announcing to its sole occupant that he had a visitor.  He stretched as he sat up in his stiff bed and stretched, and upon seeing the lieutenant, the patient offered an inviting smile. “O captain, my captain,” Archer greeted with a smile. Shining Armor paused and sighed.  “I’m not your captain anymore, Archer,” he reminded the knight grimly. “You’ll always be our captain,” Archer returned.  “No matter what the Princess or her thestrals say.” “You should be careful speaking like that,” Armor warned.  “You never know who might be listening.” The knight scoffed.  “Please, nopony else is in this entire wing,” he said, motioning to the rows of empty beds.  “And outside of the doctor, you’re the only one who bothers to visit.  In fact, I could set my clock on how often you do.  Which reminds me…”  Archer glanced past the lieutenant to the large, ornate clock hanging above the double doors.  “You’re later than usual,” he noted. “The Princess had a new assignment for me,” Armor explained, and in spite of himself, he couldn’t help but grin.  “One last mission, and she’ll finally accept my request to be stationed in the North.” “From the rumors I’ve heard, most stallions would be less than excited to say that,” Archer said knowingly.  “Although I suppose if anything love is strong enough to thaw out the cold of that frozen wasteland.” “I haven’t seen her in over a year,” he thought aloud.  “Not since the Princess woke her from the sleeping chambers and banished her to the North.  I haven’t been able to send anything to her, or receive anything.”  The lieutenant’s voice trailed, and Archer noticed how anxious he was quickly becoming.  “I don’t even know what’s going on in the war up north,” Shining Armor admitted.  “I don’t know if Cadence is safe, or as safe as she can be in a place like that.  All I’ve heard are rumors, mostly of the Old King and his army, and from what I hear, to think Cadence is out there with that monster looming over her…”  A shudder coursed down his spine, cutting him off from finishing his thought. “What sort of assignment is this anyway?” Archer asked, changing the subject.  “For the Princess to suddenly have a change of heart for your requests, it must be important.” “She wants me to assemble a team to handle some insurgents,” Armor said.  “Some, I’m afraid, you’re all too familiar with.” It took a second for everything to click in place in Archer’s head, and once it did, he gave a knowing smile.  “Ah, so the truth comes out,” he teased, leaning back into the bed.  “And here I thought this was another courtesy visit.” “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to face them again,” Armor said carefully.  “But I need you.  You’re one of the most experienced combat mages of the Old Guard, and you have firsthoof experience with these Warriors and how they fight.” “No need to convince me; I never said I was going to decline,” Archer assured him, waving off with a hoof.  Shining Armor gave him a surprised look, earning a warm smile from the knight.  “I gave you my word that I would follow your lead,” he reminded him.  “Whenever you called; wherever it takes me.” Armor shook his head.  “That was years ago.” “And it still holds true to this moon,” he smiled.  “Besides, I wouldn’t let you face these scoundrels alone.  You’d be mad to think otherwise.”  Archer shifted back into a sitting position, giving his old captain his full attention.  “So, who else do you have enlisted in this merry crusade of yours?” “So far, only you,” Shining Armor admitted.  “You were my first choice, given your experience.  Nightingale is likely going to enlist some of his thestrals as well.” “Yes, the thestrals don’t exactly trust us members of the Old Guard still, do they?” Archer chuckled.  “Well, if you don’t mind my recommendation, I think our old scout has been growing antsy in her new position.” The lieutenant’s brow furrowed.  “What makes you say that?” “She told me herself,” Archer said simply.  “She visited me the first moon I was back.  We spent some good couple hours catching up on old times.  Apparently, she’s been recruited into the Princess’ Shadowbolts, although I’m afraid it’s not as glamorous as she had hoped.”  Shining Armor gave him a look, begging for an explanation.  “It’s not easy, being an Old Guard,” Archer explained.  “Especially in a department comprised mostly of new thestral recruits.  Prejudice is hard to… unlearn, especially with the Civil War still fresh in most ponies’ minds, but Commander Spitfire keeps her wing under strict watch and ensures it never comes out of hoof. “You should visit her,” Archer recommended.  “I think it would do her well.” “I’m not so sure about that,” Armor hesitated.  “It must have been two years since we last spoke.  After everything that happened since the war, everything I’ve done…  I’d be surprised if she would be happy to see me.” “I wouldn’t be too sure if I was you,” Archer assured him.  The lieutenant watched as his old friend swung his legs off the bed and stood up, and he frowned when saw his side.  Parts of his white coat were singed, arcing like a web across his barrel from where he had been struck.  He noticed how Archer grimaced slightly when he stretched.  “She’s asked a lot about you in her few visits,” he continued.  “But I keep reminding her that you can answer her questions far better than I ever can.  Go see her; I’ll convince the doctor to let me check out.”  His lighthearted smile faltered when he noticed his old captain's stare. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” Armor reminded him.  “You can stay here if you still need to rest.” Archer scoffed.  “Please, I’ve been resting in this same, boring room for the last two weeks.  I’m ready to go out and see the world again.” “You’re not worried this assignment might put you back in here?” Armor asked, raising an eyebrow. “I underestimated them last time,” Archer explained.  The sheets on his bed came to life through his magic and straightened themselves out.  “It won’t happen again.  Besides, the only reason I am here is because the Giant struck me when I wasn’t looking.”  He looked up from his work and gave his old captain knowing smile.  “This time, he will have my full attention.” Rainbow Dash let out another heavy sigh as she turned over the black helmet in her hooves.  She took up the rag next to her on the bed and began polishing out the water stains.  Weather team…  How did she get stuck on the weather team?  She had more combat experience than anypony else in this bay, and they stuck her with managing clouds over Everfree. It was a rhetorical question, she knew.  She looked up from her polishing with cold eyes, watching the bay full of thestrals.  They could have placed any of the squires or newly anointed knights on weather duty, but none of them were once in the Old Guard.  When the Princess disappeared and her sun set for the final time, none of them still fought for her. It could have been worse, she supposed.  At least they let her keep her status as a knight when the Old Guard surrendered, even if they stripped her of her other titles. “Room, tench-hut!” Rainbow Dash shot to her hooves, clenching her eyes shut as her helmet clattered against the stone floor.  That was going to be difficult to polish. “Thank you, Spitfire.  As you were, Shadowbolts!” Rainbow’s ear flicked to the familiar voice.  At the front of the bay, Spitfire and Shining Armor were speaking more quietly.  Her eyes lingered before she finally convinced them to tear away. She picked her helmet off the floor and chased her racing thoughts away with the rag as she continued polishing.  How long had it been since she had seen her old captain?  Outside of the royal summonings, it must have been over a year since they had spoken, maybe more.  Why was he here all of a sudden?  The Shadowbolts fell beneath a different lieutenant.  Maybe he was here on official duties.  She shouldn’t worry herself.  What were the odds that after all this time he would suddenly want to talk to her? She dared to steal another look, and she found Shining Armor staring back.  Spitfire followed his eyes to Rainbow, and she gave her a brisk nod.  Rainbow didn’t need a verbal command; she carefully placed her helmet on the bed and quickly cantered to the officers. “It's been some time,” Armor greeted with a nod as Rainbow joined them.  “How have you been, Dash?” “Doing well, sir,” she returned with a small smile.  She looked between him and Spitfire before adding, “How can I help?” “I was actually hoping you could meet me in my office,” he explained.  “Whenever you’re free, of course.  I’m sure Spitfire keeps her Shadowbolts busy.” “Clash isn’t in too much trouble, is she?” Spitfire interjected with a smirk. “Not at all,” Shining Armor assured her.  “But I might have an assignment for her; if she’s up for it.” Spitfire let out a low whistle and nudged Rainbow in the side.  “Getting orders straight from the lieutenant?  You’re moving up in the world, Clash,” she teased.  She gave a respectful nod to the lieutenant before returning to the bay.  “Make sure she gets back in one piece, lieutenant.  She's the best cloud buster we've got.” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and bit back a groan, and Shining Armor noticed her deflate slightly.  He turned to the door and motioned her to follow.  “Come on, my office is on the other side of the castle.  And we have a lot to catch up on,” he added with a smile. Rainbow Dash trailed behind him as he exited the door, and her mind was racing again.  She wondered what could have brought him here.  Did he say he had an assignment?  It had been so long since they had seen each other.  What could it have been that he specifically wanted her of all ponies? “Do you remember when we first met?” Armor suddenly asked.  “In that recruiter’s booth at the Wonderbolts’ show?” His question caught her off guard, to say in the least.  It was years ago; why suddenly bring it up?  But as she thought back to that moon, or rather, that day, a small, reminiscent smile formed.  “Yeah, you were the only unicorn in all of Cloudsdale,” she smirked.  “Kinda hard to forget something like that.  You were almost a bigger attraction than the show itself.” Shining Armor chuckled, “It was a bit of a marvel for me, too.  Never stepped hoof on a cloud before; I thought the charm was going to break and I was going to fall through with each step.” “Yeah, I bet that took some getting used to, huh?” Rainbow Dash smiled and shook her head.  She rarely left Cloudsdale when she was growing up, so seeing anypony with anything other than wings was always enough to warrant a double-take.  She couldn’t imagine what the foals must have thought of him; most of them had lived their entire lives in Cloudsdale and had never seen anything other than pegasi.    “You had a pretty clever pitch, too,” she complimented as she thought back.  “Saying how the Wonderbolts used to be a part of the Royal Guard?  That definitely caught a few of the colts’ attention.” “Thanks; my little sister stayed up all night making these little flashcards for me with all those old Wonderbolt facts.  I just wish I hadn’t dropped half of them when I got to the booth,” he laughed.  “Having one of our fastest scouts working with me helped, too.  I seem to remember you being dragged in to his little challenge.” “Pssh, he didn’t seem that fast to me,” Rainbow brushed off proudly. “You were the only one who came close to beating Cloud Burst in that race,” Armor smiled. “Hey, I did beat him,” she said defensively.  “I know it looked close to anypony sitting on the sidelines, but when you’re flying that fast, you need good attention to detail, and I saw my hoof cross that finish line before his.  He hasn’t challenged me to a rematch since; probably because he knows I’d fly circles around his flank now.” “Well, whoever won,” the lieutenant teased.  “You left a good impression on him.  Isn’t he the one who convinced you to join the guard?” Rainbow Dash scoffed.  “Oh, don’t give him all the credit; his head is big enough as it is.  Your little sales pitch was probably the biggest influence.  I always wanted to join the Wonderbolts, ever since I was a little filly.  When you said they used to be a part of the Royal Guard…  I don’t know, it felt like I was a part of them in spirit, you know?” Armor nodded and smiled in understanding, but as they continued walking, a heavy silence fell upon them, stealing away lighthearted atmosphere.  “If you could go back, would you still have joined?” he asked.  “Knowing everything you do now?” She didn’t answer immediately, mulling it over in her head.  “Of course,” she eventually said.  Armor glanced back, almost in surprise.  “Especially after everything that happened.  I felt like I was making a difference; I can't imagine what I would have done with my life otherwise.  And when Nightmare Moon came back and overthrew the Princess, we showed history that Equestria didn't just sit back quietly and let it happen; we made Nightmare work for it.”  Her confident smile faltered, and she looked guiltily to the ground.  “We… We gave other ponies hope.  At least for a while.” Shining Armor didn’t respond.  How could he?  It was his call that ended the war. “I don’t think I was ever more proud of myself than the day Princes…”  Her voice trailed off.  Shining Armor glanced back and caught her staring at the sky.  He followed her gaze and found the Mare in the Moon watching them sadly from above.  “Well, the day she knighted me,” Rainbow finished softly.  “I know what they say; everypony was knighted through her.  It shouldn’t have felt that special, but… it did.” A heavy silence fell over the Old Guards.  The lieutenant was thankful that they were already close to headquarters when it settled in.  They pushed through the doors and away from the sorrowful gaze of the Mare in the Moon, and he led Rainbow Dash into his office. “So, what did you want to talk to me for?” she asked as she closed the door behind her.  “No offense, sir, but it’s been nearly two years, and I doubt you suddenly decided to catch up on old times.” Armor sighed as he sat behind his desk, a small pit of guilt forming in his chest.  “Have you heard any rumors lately of the Warriors of Sunlight?” “Warriors of Sunlight?” Rainbow echoed.  “I thought they were dealt with a few years ago.  Are they back?” “No this is a different group,” Shining Armor shook his head.  “A newer one.  We’ve been getting reports that they’ve been traveling east for the last two and a half weeks, and so far, the Royal Guard has been unable to stop them.” “What?  How many of them are there?” “Only two.”  Rainbow’s jaw dropped, earning a knowing smile from her old captain.  “You can see why the Princess wants them dealt with,” Armor smiled. “How have I not heard of them before?” Rainbow wondered in awe. “Well, consider this your official briefing,” Armor said matter-of-factly.  “Her Majesty has been trying to keep this situation as quiet as possible, hoping it would resolve itself as they traveled from town to town.  But as these Warriors continue to seize victory after victory against the Guard, it’s becoming more difficult to quell rumors among the citizens.  The entire city of Baltimare rose up against the guards stationed there a few days ago when they arrived.” Rainbow’s eyes widened a hair with a hint of excitement.  She planted her hooves on the front of Armor’s desk and leaned in slightly.  “So, what’s the plan?” she asked quietly. “The Princess wants me to form a team and hunt them down,” the lieutenant explained.  “We know they’re on a course to Manehattan, although it is unclear whether or not they have already arrived.  Our mission is to find them, detain them, and bring them before the Princess to—” “No, no, no,” Rainbow interjected, shaking her head.  “I mean what’s our plan?” Armor blinked, and then frowned.  “Form a team, find them, detain them, and bring them before the Princess,” he reiterated more sternly. “What?!” The lieutenant reeled back in shock at her sudden outburst. “How can you say that?” Rainbow demanded.  “You just told me that two rebels turned an entire city against the throne, and you want us to stop them?  We should be helping them!” “No, we shouldn’t,” Armor argued.  “Equestria doesn’t need that kind of encouragement right now.  Sooner or later they’re going to fail, just like everypony else who tried before them did.  We’re better off stifling this before it grows out of hoof and more ponies get caught in the crossfire.” “But this is different,” she insisted.  “This isn’t like the Remnants or the last Sunlight Warriors or even us.  You said it yourself, there’s only two of them, and nopony has been able to stop them since they’ve started.” “That’s because they’re small, they don’t have to hide an army or an entire cult like the others.  It makes them almost impossible to track, and they can attack from out of nowhere,” Armor reasoned.  “Eventually their luck is going to run out, and they’ll be cornered and defeated, and everypony who supported them will face the Princess’ wrath.” “Which is exactly why we should be helping them!” she exclaimed.  “For the first time in years, somepony has been able to successfully stand up to Nightmare’s Guard.  For the first time in years, everypony has hope.” “All hope has ever done for us is turn good mares and stallions into martyrs and never anypony to have made their sacrifice mean anything,” Armor shot back, his voice rising slightly.  “We can’t keep feeding it.  We can’t keep feeding everypony empty promises!” “You weren’t always like this,” she accused.  “They’re out there fighting for hope, for Equestria, just like we once did!  We shouldn’t be stifling it.  What happened to the Captain Armor I once knew?” “We lost, Rainbow Dash.  That’s what happened,” Armor barked back.  Rainbow Dash fell on her haunches and pursed her lips, suddenly very conscious of her rank.  “We lost, and everypony suffered because of it.  We went down like martyrs, and ever since other ponies have tried to pick up our mantle, and even more ponies have suffered because of them.” The fire in his eyes sputtered out, and he collapsed back in his chair, not having realized he had stood in the first place.  “I’m tired of other ponies suffering,” he said more softly.  “Nopony can stand up to her, Dash.  Not an army, not a foreign nation, and certainly not two rebels.  The only one that stands a chance has been banished to the moon.” “But…  But what do we do?” Rainbow asked, desperately searching for a response.  “We can’t just wait for her to come back.” “We have to,” Armor said with grim finality.  “It’s all we can do.  Nightmare Moon’s banishment didn’t last forever, and neither will our princess’.  Perhaps we only need to wait one thousand more years.” The knight shook in her armor and screwed her eyes shut.  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  He couldn’t be saying what she thought he was saying.  She took in a breath and shakily let it out, and when she opened her eyes, the lieutenant was staring back with just as much sorrow.  “There has to be a reason,” she said, her voice almost breaking.  “Tell me why we’re doing this, that’s there’s a point to it all.” “Because,” Armor sighed simply.  “If not us, then it’ll be one of Nightingale’s own.  And if we can stop any more martyrs from being made, then maybe Equestria can finally have some peace, however small.” Rainbow Dash fell silent and hung her head in defeat.  Shining Armor feared he had spoken too harshly, broken her spirit, but she surprised him when she finally lifted her head.  “What are my orders, Captain?” she asked quietly. Armor felt himself sink deeper into his chair.  “I’m not your captain anymore, knight,” he sighed grimly. “You’ll always be our captain,” she assured him matter-of-factly.  “To all of the Old Guard.  We’ll follow your word before Nightingale’s any moon.  And if you think it best for us to wait for our princess to return…”  She struggled to say the words.  “Then we’ll wait,” she nodded.  “By your command.” Shining Armor opened his mouth to speak, but conceded with a nod.  “If you’re uncomfortable with this sort of mission, you don’t have to accept,” he offered. “Oh, no you don’t,” Rainbow accused with a weak smile.  The lieutenant could see her confidence building back up.  “If you were looking for me, then it’s because you knew you needed the best.  Now, what are my orders, sir?” She won a faint smile out of him, however sad it was.  “We have an asset that needs to be delivered across the country to Manehattan,” he explained.  “The rest of the team will be transported by airship, but we need one to stay outside to handle the package.  Have you been keeping up with your endurance flying?” Rainbow laughed.  “Are you kidding?  They have me cloud busting over Everfree almost every moon; I get all the practice I need.  So, am I just delivering this package while everypony else sits pretty in the airship?” “Well, I would say more luring than delivering,” Armor corrected. Rainbow Dash gave him a curious look.  “Last chance to back out,” he warned.  She shook her head and smirked, ready for whatever challenge he put before her.  “Very well, then,” he smiled.  He held out a hoof, and she grabbed it with her own and shook it. “Welcome to the Black Knights.”